Folk crafts are exactly what makes our culture rich and unique. Foreign tourists take with them painted objects, toys and textile products in memory of our country.
Almost every corner of Russia has its own type of needlework, and in this material we have collected the brightest and most famous of them.
Dymkovo toy
The Dymkovo toy is a symbol of the Kirov region, emphasizing its rich and ancient history. It is molded from clay, then dried and fired in a kiln. After that, it is painted by hand, each time creating a unique copy. There cannot be two identical toys.
Zhostovo painting
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Vishnyakov brothers lived in one of the Moscow villages of the former Trinity volost (now Mytishchi district), and they were engaged in painting lacquered metal trays, sugar bowls, pallets, papier-mâché boxes, cigarette cases, teapots, albums and other things. Since then, artistic painting in the Zhostovo style has begun to gain popularity and attract attention at numerous exhibitions in our country and abroad.
Khokhloma
Khokhloma is one of the most beautiful Russian crafts, which originated in the 17th century near Nizhny Novgorod. This is a decorative painting of furniture and wooden utensils, which is loved not only by connoisseurs of Russian antiquity, but also by residents of foreign countries.
The intricately intertwined herbal patterns of bright scarlet berries and golden leaves on a black background can be admired endlessly. Therefore, even traditional wooden spoons, presented on the most insignificant occasion, leave the recipient with the kindest and longest memory of the donor.
Gorodets painting
Gorodets painting has existed since the mid-19th century. Bright, laconic patterns reflect genre scenes, figurines of horses, roosters, and floral patterns. The painting is done in a free stroke with a white and black graphic outline; it decorates spinning wheels, furniture, shutters, and doors.
Ural malachite
Known deposits of malachite are in the Urals, Africa, South Australia and the USA, however, in terms of color and beauty of patterns, malachite from foreign countries cannot be compared with that from the Urals. Therefore, malachite from the Urals is considered the most valuable on the world market.
Gusev crystal
Products made at the Gus-Khrustalny crystal factory can be found in museums all over the world. Traditional Russian souvenirs, household items, sets for the festive table, elegant jewelry, boxes, and handmade figurines reflect the beauty of our native nature, its customs and primordially Russian values. Products made from colored crystal are especially popular.
Matryoshka
A chubby and plump cheerful girl in a headscarf and Russian folk dress won the hearts of lovers of folk toys and beautiful souvenirs around the world.
Now the nesting doll is not just a folk toy, a keeper of Russian culture: it is a memorable souvenir for tourists, on the apron of which play scenes, fairy tale plots and landscapes with attractions are finely drawn. The nesting doll has become a precious collectible that can cost hundreds of dollars.
Enamel
Vintage brooches, bracelets, pendants, which quickly “entered” modern fashion, are nothing more than jewelry made using the enamel technique. This type of applied art originated in the 17th century in the Vologda region.
Masters depicted floral patterns, birds, and animals on white enamel using a variety of paints. Then the art of multi-color enamel began to be lost, and monochromatic enamel began to supplant it: white, blue and green. Now both styles are successfully combined.
Tula samovar
In his free time, Fyodor Lisitsyn, an employee of the Tula Arms Factory, loved to make something out of copper, and once made a samovar. Then his sons opened a samovar establishment where they sold copper products, which were wildly successful.
The Lisitsyn samovars were famous for their variety of shapes and finishes: barrels, vases with chasing and engraving, egg-shaped samovars, with dolphin-shaped taps, with loop-shaped handles, and painted ones.
Palekh miniature
Palekh miniature is a special, subtle, poetic vision of the world, which is characteristic of Russian folk beliefs and songs. The painting uses brown-orange and bluish-green tones.
Palekh painting has no analogues in the whole world. It is done on papier-mâché and only then transferred to the surface of boxes of various shapes and sizes.
Gzhel
The Gzhel bush, an area of 27 villages located near Moscow, is famous for its clay, which has been mined here since the mid-17th century. In the 19th century, Gzhel craftsmen began to produce semi-faience, earthenware and porcelain. Of particular interest are still items painted in one color - blue overglaze paint applied with a brush, with graphic detailing.
Pavlovo Posad shawls
Bright and light, feminine Pavloposad shawls are always fashionable and relevant. This folk craft appeared at the end of the 18th century at a peasant enterprise in the village of Pavlovo, from which a shawl manufactory subsequently developed. It produced woolen shawls with printed patterns, which were very popular at that time.
Nowadays, original designs are complemented by various elements such as fringe, are created in different colors and remain an excellent accessory to almost any look.
Vologda lace
Vologda lace is woven on wooden sticks and bobbins. All images are made with dense, continuous, uniform width, smoothly curling linen braid. They stand out clearly against the background of patterned lattices, decorated with elements in the form of stars and rosettes.
Shemogodskaya carved birch bark
Shemogodskaya carving is a traditional Russian folk art craft of birch bark carving. The ornaments of Shemogod carvers are called “birch bark lace” and are used in the manufacture of boxes, teapots, pencil cases, cases, dishes, plates, and cigarette cases.
The symmetrical pattern of Shemogod carving consists of floral patterns, circles, rhombuses, and ovals. The drawing can include images of birds or animals, architectural motifs, and sometimes even scenes of walking in the garden and drinking tea.
The scarves are knitted from natural goat down and are amazingly soft, beautiful, warm and practical. Openwork web scarves are so thin and elegant that they can be threaded through a wedding ring. They are valued by women all over the world and are considered a wonderful gift.
The culture of Russia is the culture of the Russian people, other peoples and nationalities of Russia and the states that preceded the modern Russian Federation; a set of formal and informal institutions, phenomena and factors influencing the preservation, production, transmission and dissemination of spiritual values (ethical, aesthetic, intellectual, civil, etc.) in Russia.
The culture of Ancient Rus' is characterized by the following features:
Slow pace of development. The experience of previous generations and traditions played an important role.
Locality, isolation, disunity of Russian lands, caused by the lack of economic interests in a subsistence economy.
Patriotism, the cult of a strong and brave warrior-hero.
Very deep moral principles.
Strong influence of religion.
Dominance in the ideology of religious worldview.
Despite the difference in the development of Rus' from Western European countries, Russian culture developed in the general mainstream of European culture.
Culture of Russia XIII-XVII centuries
Rostov Kremlin
Key features of cultural development in that period:
The need for self-identification of the Russian people and, as a consequence, the blurring of differences between individual principalities and the formation of an all-Russian culture.
The rise of the Orthodox Church as the guardian of the cultural and political traditions of the Russian state. Ending double faith.
Self-isolation of Rus' not only from Muslim, but also from Catholic countries.
Russian empire
Monument "Millennium of Russia"
Due to historical circumstances, the Russian Empire willingly borrowed many elements of Western European culture and customs throughout its existence. And as a result, in the understanding of a “Western” observer, the cultural level of the overwhelming population of Russia was low. However, it is impossible to overestimate the contribution of leading Russian figures to world culture.
The culture of Russia is the cumulative culture of countries and nationalities living on the territory of the Soviet Union.
Theatrical arts, cinematography, and fine arts developed intensively. In certain periods, the development of ethnic minority cultures and national cultures was encouraged.
Modern history
The modern history of culture in Russia is associated with the restoration of elements of the culture of the Russian Empire and its integration into the cultural heritage of the USSR. In Russia, churches and religious customs are being actively restored, and the institution of patronage is being revived. In addition, values characteristic of Western and Eastern civilizations come into the existing culture of the USSR, for example, the traditions of Western popular culture or tea ceremonies and cuisine of Eastern countries are introduced. There are many thematic festivals, exhibitions and events. In 2012, 77% of residents of Russian cities completely or mostly agreed that there are enough cultural institutions in cities (theatres, cinemas, galleries, libraries).
As British sociology professor Hilary Pilkington noted in 2007, “there is a tendency to see Russia as a unique society, composed of different cultural traditions, not a “hybrid” but a unique entity that has been created on the basis of many and different cultural influences.”
Language
The most common language in Russia is Russian. It is also the state language of the Russian Federation in accordance with Article 68 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. However, the number of speakers of eight more languages in the Russian Federation exceeds one million people.
Republics within the Russian Federation have the right to establish their own state languages and, as a rule, use this right: for example, in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, in addition to Russian, Abaza, Karachay, Nogai and Circassian languages have state status.
Despite the efforts made in many regions to preserve and develop local languages, in Russia the tendency towards a language shift that emerged in Soviet times continues, when in fact the native language of non-Russian citizens becomes the Russian language, while a superficial knowledge of the mother language (the language of one’s ethnic group) becomes nothing more than a marker of ethnicity.
Cyrillic is a writing system and alphabet for a language, based on the Old Slavic Cyrillic alphabet (they talk about Russian, Serbian, etc. Cyrillic alphabet; calling the formal unification of several or all national Cyrillic alphabet “Cyrillic alphabet” is incorrect). The Old Church Slavonic Cyrillic alphabet and writing system, in turn, is based on the Greek alphabet.
The alphabets of 11 of the 28 Slavic languages are based on the Cyrillic alphabet, as well as 101 non-Slavic languages that were previously unwritten or had other writing systems and were translated into Cyrillic in the late 1930s (see: list of languages with alphabets based on the Cyrillic alphabet) .
Russian is one of the East Slavic languages, one of the largest languages in the world, including the most widespread of the Slavic languages. The Russian language originated from Old Russian, together with the Sukrainian and Belarusian languages [source not specified 1
Russian literature
Russian literature reflected not only aesthetic, moral and spiritual values and ideas; According to leading Russian thinkers, literature is also the philosophy of Russia.
Until the 18th century, secular literature practically did not exist in Russia. There are several monuments of ancient Russian literature of a religious or chronicle nature - “The Tale of Bygone Years”, “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, “The Prayer of Daniil the Zatochnik”, “Zadonshchina”, The Life of Alexander Nevsky and other lives. The authors of these works are now unknown. Folk art of that period is represented by the original genre of epics, fairy tales.
Secular literature appeared in Russia only in the 17th century. The first known work of this kind is “The Life of Archpriest Avvakum” (despite the name, it cannot be called a religious work, since it was written by Avvakum himself; canonical lives were written only after the death of the saint).
In the 18th century, a galaxy of secular writers and poets appeared in Russia. Among them are the poets Vasily Trediakovsky, Antioch Cantemir, Gavriil Derzhavin, Mikhail Lomonosov; writers Nikolai Karamzin, Alexander Radishchev; playwrights Alexander Sumarokov and Denis Fonvizin. The dominant artistic style of literature at that time was classicism.
Poetry
A. S. Pushkin
Among the most famous poets of Russia:
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin
Mikhail Yurjevich Lermontov
Alexander Alexandrovich Blok
Sergey Yesenin
Anna Akhmatova
Vladimir Mayakovsky
and many others.
Prose
F. M. Dostoevsky
Among the most famous writers of Russia:
Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy
Ivan Alekseevich Bunin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
and many others.
Modern literature
Russian art
art
Russian icon painting inherited the traditions of Byzantine masters. At the same time, Russia developed its own traditions. The most comprehensive collection of icons is in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Russian icons were not mere imitation, but had their own style, and masters such as Andrei Rublev raised the level of icon painting to new heights.
Painting
V. M. Vasnetsov. "Bogatyrs". Oil. 1881-1898.
I. E. Repin. "The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan." Oil. 1880-1891.
M. A. Vrubel. "The Demon Seated" Oil. 1890.
The first realistic portraits appeared in Russia in the 17th century; in the mid-late 18th century, such major painters as Levitsky and Borovikovsky appeared in Russia.
Since that time, Russian painting has followed global trends. Outstanding artists of the first half of the 19th century: Kiprensky, Bryullov, Ivanov (“The Appearance of Christ to the People”).
In the second half of the 19th century, realistic painting flourished. A creative association of Russian artists, the “Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions” (“Peredvizhniki”), was founded, which included such great artists as Vasnetsov, Kramskoy, Shishkin, Kuindzhi, Surikov, Repin, Savrasov.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the World of Art association operated. Its members or artists close to the movement were Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel, Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin, Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich, Isaac Ilyich Levitan.
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is the main artistic method used in the art of the Soviet Union beginning in the 1930s; it was permitted, recommended, or imposed (at different periods of the country’s development) by state censorship, and therefore was closely connected with ideology and propaganda. It has been officially approved since 1932 by party bodies in literature and art. Parallel to it, there was unofficial art of the USSR. Representatives of socialist realism are V. I. Mukhina, A. A. Deineka, I. I. Brodsky, E. P. Antipova, B. E. Efimov. Works in the genre of socialist realism are characterized by the presentation of events of the era, “dynamically changing in their revolutionary development.” The ideological content of the method was laid down by dialectical-materialist philosophy and the communist ideas of Marxism (Marxist aesthetics) in the second half of the 19th-20th centuries. The method covered all areas of artistic activity (literature, drama, cinema, painting, sculpture, music and architecture). It stated the following principles:
Describe reality “accurately, in accordance with specific historical revolutionary developments.”
coordinate their artistic expression with the themes of ideological reforms and the education of workers in the socialist spirit.
Main article: Russian avant-garde
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Russia became one of the centers of avant-garde art.
Prominent representatives of the avant-garde: Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Marc Chagall, Pavel Filonov. What was common to the Russian avant-garde was the rejection of old forms of art in favor of a new one, more appropriate to the current moment of reality. A similar direction in the development of artists’ thoughts also existed in all other European countries, while the art of America lagged behind in its development. In those years, for the first time since the time of Peter I, a definite connection emerged between the fine arts of Russia and the fine arts of European countries. In the 30s, with the increasing influence of the style of socialist realism, this connection was broken. Many researchers associate the origins of the Russian avant-garde not so much with the revolution, but with the industrial leap of that time.
Abstractionism
In the 1950s and 1960s, some artists turned to the tradition of abstraction. Eliya Belutina’s studio “New Reality” worked most actively in this direction. In 1962, after the destruction of their exhibition in the Manege, “New Reality” became one of the centers of unofficial art in the USSR. The association lasted until 2000. The goal of “New Reality” was to create contemporary art, and as a result of its activities, the organization of the New Academy.
The main artists of the “New Reality” group: Eliy Belyutin, Vladislav Zubarev, Lucian Gribkov, Vera Preobrazhenskaya, Anatoly Safokhin, Tamara Ter-Ghevondyan.
In the 1960s, during the “Thaw,” a circle of conceptual artists emerged on the territory of the former Soviet Union, many of whom have now received international recognition. Their art has a full-fledged place in the world history of art and, in particular, in the history of international conceptual art. Such artists as Ilya Kabakov, Andrei Monastyrsky, Dmitry Prigov, Viktor Pivovarov are familiar not only in modern Russia, but also in Europe and America.
Art museums
There are many art museums and galleries in Russia. Among the most famous are: the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the State Hermitage and Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
Music
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Russian classical music contains the creative heritage of such great composers as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka, the “Mighty Handful” community of composers, Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov, Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky. Among Soviet composers, some of the most significant are: Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev, Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich, Aram Ilyich Khachaturian, Alfred Schnittke.
In Russian music there are many world-famous classical works, including famous symphonies, concerts, ballets (Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, The Rite of Spring), operas (Boris Godunov, Eugene Onegin, Ivan Susanin) , suites (“Pictures at an Exhibition”)
Popular music
In the first half of the 20th century, such performers as Alexander Vertinsky and Leonid Utesov were popular. In Soviet times, the so-called “pop” popular music (Muslim Magomayev, Lev Leshchenko, Alla Pugacheva, Valery Leontyev, Joseph Kobzon).
Pop music developed in the USSR and Russia from the second half of the 20th century according to Western prototypes. It is popular primarily among the Russian-speaking population of the world. In Western countries, Russian pop musicians rarely achieve great commercial success (for example, the group Tatu did this).
Russian rock
Concert of the rock band Nautilus Pompilius
Russian rock is a collective designation for Russian-language rock music, created first in the USSR, then in Russia and the CIS countries by various musicians and groups. The most famous groups: “Aria”, “Time Machine”, “Aquarium”, “Nautilus Pompilius”, “Kino”, “Alice”, “DDT”, “Zvuki Mu”, “Chaif”, “Splin”, “Bi-2” ","Agatha Christie"
Russian rock bands were greatly influenced by Western rock music, as well as Russian art songs (Vladimir Vysotsky, Bulat Okudzhava), usually performed with an acoustic guitar.
The first jazz concert in the USSR took place in Moscow on October 1, 1922 at one o'clock in the afternoon on the stage of the Central College of Theater Arts (later GITIS) in Maly Kislovsky Lane. It was a concert of “Valentin Parnach, the first eccentric orchestra of jazz bands in the RSFSR.”
Electonic music
Famous groups and persons: PPK, Parasense, Quarantine, KDD, Radiotrance, Transdriver, Psykovsky, Kindzadza, Enichkin. During the Soviet period, Eduard Artemyev, Nochnoy Prospekt, and Ivan Sokolovsky worked in this genre.
Architecture
Russian architecture follows a tradition whose roots were established in Byzantium, and then in the Old Russian state. After the fall of Kyiv, Russian architectural history continued in the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, the Novgorod and Pskov Republics, the Russian Tsardom, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the modern Russian Federation.
Religious buildings
Civil architecture
Civil architecture in Russia has gone through several stages throughout its history. Before the revolution, the development of architecture corresponded to the trends of other countries: buildings were built in the style of classicism, baroque and others.
The eras of civil architecture of the USSR received their names from the names of the country's rulers: Stalin's houses, Brezhnev's, Khrushchev's. With the advent of Soviet power, the style of the buildings changed - they became more monumental. However, subsequently, when solving the problems of improving the living conditions of citizens of the USSR, a bet was placed on mass development. As a result, the architecture of the late USSR lost various decorative architectural elements, such as stucco molding, columns, arches and others. So-called peeling houses appeared. In response to the typical development of Russian cities, Eldar Ryazanov’s film “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!” was released on television.
Currently, along with standard projects for the construction of mass housing, individual projects of residential buildings are also used.
Russian theatrical art is one of the most promising in the world. Russia has world-famous theaters, such as the Mariinsky Theatre, the Bolshoi and the Maly Theatres.
Circus art is developed and popular in Russia. Among the famous circus artists: clowns Yuri Nikulin, “Pencil”, Oleg Popov; magicians (illusionists) Emil Kio and Igor Kio, trainers Vladimir Durov, brothers Edgard and Askold Zapashny.
Cinema
Already in April 1896, 4 months after the first Parisian cinematic sessions, the first cinematographic devices appeared in Russia. On May 4 (16), 1896, the first demonstration of the “Lumiere cinematograph” in Russia took place in the Aquarium theater of the St. Petersburg garden - several films were shown to the public during the intermission between the second and third acts of the vaudeville “Alfred Pasha in Paris.” In May, Camille Cerf carried out the first documentary filming in Russia of the celebrations in honor of the coronation of Nicholas II. Film screenings quickly became a fashionable entertainment, and permanent cinemas began to appear in many large cities of Russia. The first permanent cinema opened in St. Petersburg in May 1896 at 46 Nevsky Prospekt.
The first Russian feature films were film adaptations of fragments of classical works of Russian literature (“The Song of the Merchant Kalashnikov,” “The Idiot,” “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”), folk songs (“Ukhar the Merchant”) or illustrated episodes from Russian history (“The Death of Ivan the Terrible”) ", "Peter the Great"). In 1911, the first full-length film in Russia, “The Defense of Sevastopol,” was released, jointly directed by Alexander Khanzhonkov and Vasily Goncharov.
In 1913, in the wake of the general rise of the Russian economy, the rapid growth of the cinematographic industry began, new companies were formed - including the largest film company of I. N. Ermolyev, among which more than 120 films were produced, including such significant films as “The Queen of Spades” (1916) and “Father Sergius” (published in 1918) by Yakov Protazanov. The period of the First World War marked the heyday of artistic Russian cinema. During this period, the outstanding film stylist Evgeniy Bauer shot his main films, Vladimir Gardin and Vyacheslav Viskovsky were actively working.
After the collapse of the USSR, cinema in Russia is experiencing a crisis: many film studios are experiencing financial difficulties. Film products produced in Russia are strongly influenced by American films. In the 1990s, the number of big-budget films was not large (pictures such as The Barber of Siberia and Russian Riot appeared). In the era of the 2000s, against the backdrop of economic growth, there was a qualitative and quantitative growth in the film industry.
Films produced in Russia and its predecessor countries are winners of major international film festivals, such as Berlin, Cannes, Venice, and Moscow.
Every year, dozens of film festivals are held in Russia, among which the largest are the Moscow Film Festival (accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations) and Kinotavr.
Animation
Soviet animation is known all over the world, distinguished by the use of pastel colors, spirituality, kindness of content, and the presence of a strong educational component. Thousands of cartoons were produced at the most famous studios of the USSR and Russia (Soyuzmultfilm, Tsentrnauchfilm, Kievnauchfilm).
Film experts date the first Russian cartoon “Pierrot the Artists” to 1906, filmed by the choreographer of the Mariinsky Theater Alexander Shiryaev.
The cartoon “Hedgehog in the Fog” by Yuri Norshtein in 2003 in Tokyo was recognized as the best cartoon of all time according to a survey of 140 film critics and animators from different countries.
Wooden church in Kizhi
Paganism
Before the baptism of Rus' (988), pagan cults dominated the Russian Plain, which were characterized by polytheism, animism, the cult of ancestors, spirits and forces of nature. Many relics of paganism are preserved in the folk religion of Russians down to the present day, especially in rural areas (primarily elements of funeral and memorial rites). Many non-Slavic peoples of Russia retained their ethnic religions, in particular shamanism, until the 19th and 20th centuries.
Christianity
Orthodoxy
Orthodox Christianity is the most widespread religion in modern Russia. Came to Rus' from Byzantium.
Catholicism
Traditionally, Catholicism (not including Greek Catholics in western Ukraine and Belarus) in Russia (Russian Empire) was practiced by Russian subjects of Polish, German, Lithuanian and Latvian origin.
Since the late 1980s, there has been some growth in adherence among people without historical or family ties to Catholicism.
Protestantism
Protestantism was introduced by merchants, soldiers and other visiting professionals from Germany shortly after the Reformation. The first Lutheran church appeared in Moscow already in 1576. Immigration of Protestants from Europe continued into the future. In addition, Protestantism was historically widespread in the north-west of the country among the local population in the territories conquered from Sweden as a result of the Northern and Russian-Swedish wars. Restrictions (“golden cage”) on the part of the authorities, in particular, a strict ban on preaching in Russian, led to the closure of traditional Protestant communities along national lines and persecution of the disseminators of new teachings, such as Shtunda, and then Baptism.
With the revival of churches after the collapse of the USSR, traditional Protestant communities, which were previously ethnic (German, Estonian, Swedish, Finnish, etc.), are often replenished with people with completely different roots, in particular Russians, which is caused, on the one hand, by the strong the decline of ethnic Germans and Finns due to repression and mass emigration, on the other hand, the attractiveness of the faith and the favorable climate in the parishes. The activity of new movements, in particular American ones, such as Pentecostals, is also noticeable.
The number of Protestants in Russia cannot be determined accurately. According to various sources, from 2% to 4% of the population consider themselves Protestants, while from 0.6% to 1.5% actively participate in religious life. This means that, according to a rough estimate, every hundredth inhabitant of the country is a conscientious Protestant. The most common are Baptists, whose congregations are estimated at at least 100,000 people.
As a notable contribution of Protestants to the culture of Russia, one can note the custom of erecting a New Year tree.
According to experts (the question of religious affiliation was not asked during the last census), there are up to 14.5 million Muslims in Russia, if we count the total number of peoples historically associated with Islam. According to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the European Part of the Russian Federation, about 20 million Muslims live in Russia. However, sociologist Roman Silantiev considers these data to be clearly overestimated and estimates the real number of Muslims at 11-12 million people, which is not plausible, given that there are 16.2 million people from the Caucasus alone in Russia. [unauthorized source? 256 days]
The majority of Muslims live in the Volga-Ural region, as well as in the North Caucasus, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Western Siberia. There are more than 6,000 mosques in Russia (in 1991 there were about a hundred).
Buddhism is traditional in three regions of Russia: Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia. According to the Buddhist Association of Russia, the number of people professing Buddhism is 1.5-2 million people.
Currently, many Buddhist schools are represented in Russia: Theravada, Japanese and Korean Zen, several directions of Mahayana and almost all schools of Tibetan Buddhism existing in the world.
The world's northernmost Buddhist Datsan, built before the Revolution in Petrograd (Datsan Gunzechoinei), now serves as a tourist and religious center of Russian Buddhist culture. Preparations are underway to build a Buddhist temple in Moscow, which could unite Russian Buddhists around itself in joint practice for the benefit of all intelligent beings of Russia and the world.
The number of Jews is about 1.5 million. Of these, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FEOR), about 500 thousand live in Moscow, and about 170 thousand live in St. Petersburg. There are about 70 synagogues in Russia.
Russian cuisine
Russian cuisine, like Russian culture, is a two-part entity. The first, and most significant, part of it is Russian cuisine, based on the Slavic traditions of Rus' with introduced borrowings from other peoples, which over time became part of the unified Russian state. In addition, the nobility, the intelligentsia and other people who had the opportunity to travel abroad, as well as foreigners, introduced many elements of foreign cuisine into modern mass Russian cuisine.
The second direction of Russian cuisine relates to the national traditions of the peoples and nationalities living in Russia. The cuisine of each nation has its own unique dishes and methods of preparing them, based on products cultivated and collected since ancient times in a given territory, made using original kitchen utensils. Combined with local customs, religious rituals and the opportunity to interact with modern civilization, the cuisines of the peoples of Russia make an invaluable contribution to its cultural heritage.
Among the most famous dishes of Russian cuisine are borscht, vinaigrettes, pies, pancakes, cheesecakes, cabbage soup, kvass, fruit drinks and others.
Drinking culture
In Russia, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is an acute social problem; it is worth noting that the consumption of strong and other alcohol in large quantities began after the opening of drinking establishments during the reign of Peter I. Before this, alcohol consumption was extremely insignificant.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages has given Russia serious social problems associated with alcoholism and drunkenness.
However, in terms of alcohol consumption per capita, Russia is in 18th place, behind countries such as Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Germany. At the same time, the diet is significantly different - for example, in Europe dry red wines predominate, and in Russia - vodka and beer.
Sports of Russia
Traditionally, in Russian culture there are two directions for the development of sports: sports of great achievements and physical education.
Both areas are actively developing in Russia. Many sports schools are leading in the world, which proves their high achievements at the most prestigious sports competitions, such as the Olympic Games, World and European Championships. Physical education and a healthy lifestyle are promoted in the country. For example, mass sports competitions are held, such as “Cross of Nations” and “Russian Ski Track”.
And also in Russia there are developed traditions of empathy for participants in sports competitions. The most popular among fans are winter and summer team sports such as football, hockey, basketball and others. Individual summer and winter sports, such as biathlon, tennis, boxing and others, are also popular.
Culture of the peoples of Russia
Russia is a multinational state. In addition to Russians, who make up more than 80 percent of the population, the Russian Federation is home to about 180 other peoples. The culture based on the Russian language had the most noticeable influence, but the cultural heritage of other peoples also plays a role in the development of all-Russian culture.
State policy of the Russian Federation in the field of culture
On December 24, 2014, for the first time in the history of the Russian Federation, the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin No. 808 approved the “Fundamentals of the State Cultural Policy of the Russian Federation” (OGKP RF), prepared by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
The introduction of this document (OGKP RF) states:
“Russia is a country of great culture, enormous cultural heritage, centuries-old cultural traditions and inexhaustible creative potential.
Due to its geographical location, multinationality, multiconfessionalism, Russia has developed and is developing as a country uniting two worlds - East and West. The historical path of Russia has determined its cultural identity, the peculiarities of the national mentality, and the value foundations of the life of Russian society.
A unique historical experience of mutual influence, mutual enrichment, and mutual respect of different cultures has been accumulated - Russian statehood has been naturally built on this for centuries.
The key, unifying role in the historical consciousness of the multinational Russian people belongs to the Russian language and the great Russian culture.
Orthodoxy played a special role in the formation of Russia’s value system. Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, other religions and beliefs, traditional for our Fatherland, also contributed to the formation of the national and cultural identity of the peoples of Russia. Neither religion nor nationality divide and should not divide the peoples of Russia...
The culture of Russia is as much its heritage as its natural resources. In the modern world, culture is becoming a significant resource for socio-economic development, allowing us to ensure the leading position of our country in the world.”
The section “Traditional and non-traditional values” of the document (OGKP RF) touches on the topic of preserving a single cultural space in Russia, which requires the refusal of state support for cultural projects that impose alien values:
“...Those whose activities contradict cultural norms have no reason to qualify for government funding - no matter how brilliant they consider themselves. The ideology of “multiculturalism,” whose destructive effects have already been experienced by Western Europe, is not for Russia.”
- “Fundamentals of the state cultural policy of the Russian Federation” (approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin No. 808 of December 24, 2014).
On September 19, 2013, at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club on the topic “Russia’s diversity for the modern world,” Vladimir Putin discussed, in particular, multiculturalism:
“... We see how many Euro-Atlantic countries have actually taken the path of abandoning their roots, including Christian values, which form the basis of Western civilization. Moral principles and any traditional identity are denied: national, cultural, religious or even gender. A policy is being pursued that puts large families and same-sex partnerships, faith in God or faith in Satan on the same level. The excesses of political correctness go so far that there is serious talk about registering parties whose goal is to promote pedophilia. People in many European countries are ashamed and afraid to talk about their religious affiliation. Holidays are even canceled or called something else, bashfully hiding the very essence of this holiday - the moral basis of these holidays. And they are trying to aggressively impose this model on everyone, the whole world. I am convinced that this is a direct path to degradation and primitivization, a deep demographic and moral crisis...”
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation.
About Russia as a civilization, the document (OGKP RF), in particular, says:
“... Humanity is a collection of large communities that differ from each other in their attitude to the surrounding world, their value systems and, accordingly, their culture. To designate these communities, different authors use the terms “superethnos”, “culture”, “civilization”.
Examples include the modern West, or the Islamic world, or China - the differences between them are quite obvious.
Russia, within the framework of this approach, is considered as a unique and original civilization, not reducible to either the “West” or the “East”. Not to “Eurasia”, understood as a kind of bridge between neighbors “on the left” and “on the right” ... "
- “Fundamentals of the state cultural policy of the Russian Federation” (approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin No. 808 of December 24, 2014).
On April 19, 2014, even at the stage of discussion of the project “Fundamentals of the State Cultural Policy of the Russian Federation” (OGKP RF), the foreign media could not do without criticism of the project, where the main thesis of the document declared the expression “Russia is not Europe”, allegedly confirmed by the whole history of the country and people, as well as numerous cultural and civilizational differences between representatives of Russian (Russian) culture and other communities
The Russian people are representatives of the East Slavic ethnic group, the indigenous inhabitants of Russia (110 million people - 80% of the population of the Russian Federation), the largest ethnic group in Europe. The Russian diaspora numbers about 30 million people and is concentrated in countries such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the countries of the former USSR, the USA and EU countries. As a result of sociological research, it was found that 75% of the Russian population of Russia are followers of Orthodoxy, and a significant part of the population does not consider itself to be a member of any particular religion. The national language of the Russian people is Russian.
Each country and its people have their own significance in the modern world; the concepts of folk culture and history of a nation, their formation and development are very important. Each nation and its culture are unique in their own way, the flavor and uniqueness of each nationality should not be lost or dissolved in assimilation with other peoples, the younger generation should always remember who they really are. For Russia, which is a multinational power and home to 190 peoples, the issue of national culture is quite acute, due to the fact that in recent years its erasure has been especially noticeable against the background of the cultures of other nationalities.
Culture and life of the Russian people
(Russian folk costume)
The first associations that arise with the concept of “Russian people” are, of course, breadth of soul and strength of spirit. But national culture is formed by people, and it is these character traits that have a huge influence on its formation and development.
One of the distinctive features of the Russian people has always been and is simplicity; in former times, Slavic houses and property were very often subjected to looting and complete destruction, hence the simplified attitude towards everyday issues. And of course, these trials that befell the long-suffering Russian people only strengthened their character, made them stronger and taught them to get out of any life situations with their heads held high.
Another trait that prevails in the character of the Russian ethnic group can be called kindness. The whole world is well aware of the concept of Russian hospitality, when “they feed you, give you something to drink, and put you to bed.” A unique combination of such qualities as cordiality, mercy, compassion, generosity, tolerance and, again, simplicity, very rarely found among other peoples of the world, all this is fully manifested in the very breadth of the Russian soul.
Hard work is another one of the main traits of the Russian character, although many historians in the study of the Russian people note both its love of work and enormous potential, as well as its laziness, as well as complete lack of initiative (remember Oblomov in Goncharov’s novel). But still, the efficiency and endurance of the Russian people is an indisputable fact that is difficult to argue against. And no matter how much scientists around the world want to understand the “mysterious Russian soul,” it is unlikely that any of them can do it, because it is so unique and multifaceted that its “zest” will forever remain a secret to everyone.
Traditions and customs of the Russian people
(Russian meal)
Folk traditions and customs represent a unique connection, a kind of “bridge of times” connecting the distant past with the present. Some of them have their roots in the pagan past of the Russian people, even before the baptism of Rus'; little by little their sacred meaning was lost and forgotten, but the main points have been preserved and are still observed. In villages and towns, Russian traditions and customs are honored and remembered to a greater extent than in cities, which is due to the more isolated lifestyle of city residents.
A large number of rituals and traditions are associated with family life (this includes matchmaking, wedding celebrations, and the baptism of children). Carrying out ancient rites and rituals guaranteed a successful and happy life in the future, the health of descendants and the general well-being of the family.
(Colorized photograph of a Russian family at the beginning of the 20th century)
Since ancient times, Slavic families were distinguished by a large number of family members (up to 20 people), adult children, having already gotten married, remained to live in their home, the head of the family was the father or older brother, everyone had to obey them and unquestioningly carry out all their orders. Typically, wedding celebrations were held either in the fall, after the harvest, or in the winter after the Epiphany holiday (January 19). Then the first week after Easter, the so-called “Red Hill,” began to be considered a very successful time for a wedding. The wedding itself was preceded by a matchmaking ceremony, when the groom's parents came to the bride's family along with his godparents, if the parents agreed to give their daughter in marriage, then a bridesmaid ceremony was held (meeting the future newlyweds), then there was a ceremony of collusion and hand-waving (the parents resolved the issues of the dowry and the date of the wedding festivities ).
The rite of baptism in Rus' was also interesting and unique, the child had to be baptized immediately after birth, for this purpose godparents were chosen, who would be responsible for the life and well-being of the godson all his life. When the baby was one year old, they sat him on the inside of a sheep's coat and cut his hair, cutting a cross on the crown, with such meaning that evil spirits would not be able to penetrate his head and would not have power over him. Every Christmas Eve (January 6), a slightly older godson should bring kutia (wheat porridge with honey and poppy seeds) to his godparents, and they, in turn, should give him sweets.
Traditional holidays of the Russian people
Russia is truly a unique state where, along with the highly developed culture of the modern world, they carefully honor the ancient traditions of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, going back centuries and preserving the memory of not only Orthodox vows and canons, but also the most ancient pagan rites and sacraments. To this day, pagan holidays are celebrated, people listen to signs and age-old traditions, remember and tell their children and grandchildren ancient traditions and legends.
Main national holidays:
- Christmas Jan. 7
- Christmastide January 6 - 9
- Baptism January 19
- Maslenitsa from 20 to 26 February
- Forgiveness Sunday ( before the onset of Lent)
- Palm Sunday ( on the Sunday before Easter)
- Easter ( the first Sunday after the full moon, which occurs no earlier than the day of the conventional vernal equinox on March 21)
- Red hill ( first Sunday after Easter)
- Trinity ( on Sunday on the day of Pentecost - the 50th day after Easter)
- Ivan Kupala July 7
- Peter and Fevronia Day July 8
- Elijah's day August 2
- Honey Spas August 14
- Apple Spas August 19
- Third (Khlebny) Spas August 29
- Pokrov day October 14
There is a belief that on the night of Ivan Kupala (July 6-7), once a year a fern flower blooms in the forest, and whoever finds it will gain untold wealth. In the evening, large bonfires are lit near rivers and lakes, people dressed in festive ancient Russian attires lead round dances, sing ritual chants, jump over the fire, and let wreaths float downstream, in the hope of finding their soul mate.
Maslenitsa is a traditional holiday of the Russian people, celebrated during the week before Lent. A very long time ago, Maslenitsa was more likely not a holiday, but a ritual when the memory of departed ancestors was honored, placating them with pancakes, asking them for a fertile year, and spending the winter by burning a straw effigy. Time passed, and the Russian people, thirsting for fun and positive emotions in the cold and dull season, turned the sad holiday into a more cheerful and daring celebration, which began to symbolize the joy of the imminent end of winter and the arrival of the long-awaited warmth. The meaning has changed, but the tradition of baking pancakes remained, exciting winter entertainment appeared: sledding and horse-drawn sled rides, a straw effigy of Winter was burned, throughout the Maslenitsa week relatives went to pancakes with their mother-in-law and sister-in-law, an atmosphere of celebration and fun reigned everywhere , various theatrical and puppet shows were held on the streets with the participation of Petrushka and other folklore characters. One of the very colorful and dangerous entertainments on Maslenitsa was fist fights; the male population took part in them, for whom it was an honor to take part in a kind of “military affair” that tested their courage, boldness and dexterity.
Christmas and Easter are considered especially revered Christian holidays among the Russian people.
The Nativity of Christ is not only a bright holiday of Orthodoxy, it also symbolizes the revival and return to life, the traditions and customs of this holiday, filled with kindness and humanity, high moral ideals and the triumph of the spirit over worldly concerns, are being rediscovered and rethought by society in the modern world. The day before Christmas (January 6) is called Christmas Eve, because the main dish of the festive table, which should consist of 12 dishes, is a special porridge “sochivo”, consisting of boiled cereal, drizzled with honey, sprinkled with poppy seeds and nuts. You can sit down at the table only after the first star appears in the sky. Christmas (January 7) is a family holiday, when everyone gathered at one table, ate a festive treat and gave each other gifts. The 12 days after the holiday (until January 19) are called Christmastide. Previously, at this time, girls in Rus' held various gatherings with fortune telling and rituals to attract suitors.
Easter has long been considered a great holiday in Rus', which people associated with the day of general equality, forgiveness and mercy. On the eve of Easter celebrations, Russian women usually bake kulichi (festive rich Easter bread) and Easter eggs, clean and decorate their homes, young people and children paint eggs, which, according to ancient legend, symbolize drops of the blood of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross. On the day of Holy Easter, smartly dressed people, meeting, say “Christ is Risen!”, answer “Truly He is Risen!”, followed by a three-time kiss and an exchange of festive Easter eggs.
The content of the article
RUSSIAN ART. The history of Russian art reflects the country's turbulent history and its geographical position between East and West. Discussions constantly arise about its essence: whether it is a unique embodiment of Western European traditions or represents a completely original phenomenon. Despite frequent political changes and periodic doubts about national identity, Russian artistic creativity has a number of distinctive features, such as bright colors, asymmetry of forms and a tendency either towards realism or abstraction.
During the Middle Ages, when the center of political life of Ancient Rus' was Kyiv, Byzantium was a role model in art and the source of many artistic influences. Tatar-Mongol invasion in the mid-13th century. and the subsequent period of the Tatar-Mongol yoke cut off Rus' from the West for almost 200 years. Winning independence in the 15th century. under the leadership of the Moscow princes did not put an end to the cultural isolation of Rus'; she was not influenced by Renaissance culture and secular humanism. Only during the reign of Peter I (1682–1725) and thanks to his policy of rapprochement with the West, Russia returned to the fold of European culture - first as a student, then an equal participant in the general cultural process, and on the eve of the First World War - an active innovator in art. In the early 1930s, Russia was once again cut off from the West when Stalin imposed a regime of isolation in order to build "socialism in one single country." The collapse of the USSR and the collapse of communism as a system in 1991 gave Russian artists an incentive to reassess values and find their place in the new political, economic and cultural situation.
Old Russian art.
In 988 Kievan Rus adopted Christianity in its Eastern Byzantine version. Along with religion, Rus' also inherited artistic traditions from Byzantium, one of which was the decoration of churches with paintings and icons. The word "icon" comes from the Greek eikon (image). The icon is an intermediary between the real world and the divine prototype. The style of painting has changed over the centuries, but the artistic traditions of icon painting have survived to the present day. The use of stylization techniques and bright, elegant colors, characteristic of medieval religious painting, influenced the work of many artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
see also ICON.
In churches, icons were placed on walls, pillars and the altar barrier. In the 14th–15th centuries. the low altar barrier turned into a high iconostasis, separating the parishioners from the altar. The iconostasis became a strictly organized hierarchical system of sacred images, in which icons depicting Christ, the Mother of God, the apostles, saints and holidays were arranged in rows in a certain order. Icons were often decorated with frames made of silver, gold and precious stones, which could cover the icon almost entirely, leaving only the faces visible. At first, icon painters were invited from abroad (most often from Greece), and sometimes the icons themselves were brought. Icon Our Lady of Vladimir, brought from Byzantium in the first half of the 12th century, became the model for a huge number of Russian lists. Very few pre-Mongol Russian icons have survived; all of them follow, to a greater or lesser extent, the iconography and style of Byzantine examples. The mosaics in the Kiev Cathedral of Hagia Sophia (founded in 1037) were also made by Byzantine masters. No mosaics were made in large churches in other cities located north of Kyiv. Thus, the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod (1045–1050) was decorated with much less expensive frescoes.
In 1240, the Mongol invasion devastated Kyiv and other Russian cities and made contact with Byzantium almost impossible. The almost complete absence of external cultural influences contributed to the development of regional schools of painting, among which the Moscow, Novgorod and Pskov schools stand out.
From the end of the 14th century. The Moscow principality gained political dominance over other Russian lands, united them under its leadership, and Moscow became the cultural center of a single Russian state. Three great masters of ancient Russian painting worked here: Theophanes the Greek (c. 1340 - after 1405), Andrei Rublev (1360/1370 - d. 1427/1430) and Dionysius (c. 1440 - after 1502/1503), whose icons and frescoes became the embodiment on Russian soil of the ideas of spiritual ascent and unity with God through the renunciation of everything external and vain and the acquisition of inner harmony.
The largest Russian artists of the 18th century. – Fyodor Rokotov (1735?–1808), Dmitry Levitsky (1735–1822) and Vladimir Borovikovsky (1757–1825). The portraits of Levitsky and Borovikovsky can be considered in line with European portraiture of the 18th century; they are close to the works of T. Gainsborough and J. Reynolds.
These artists were associated with the Imperial Academy of Arts, which was conceived by Peter I, but founded only in 1757. Organized according to European models, the Academy of Arts exercised stricter control and had a greater influence on the development of art (until the end of the 19th century) than establishments of this kind in other countries.
In the portrait genre, the Wanderers created a gallery of images of outstanding cultural figures of their time: portrait Fyodor Dostoevsky(1872) by Vasily Perov (1833–1882), portrait Nikolai Nekrasov(1877–1878) Ivan Kramskoy (1837–1887), portrait Modest Mussorgsky(1881), by Ilya Repin (1844–1930), portrait Lev Tolstoy(1884) by Nikolai Ge (1831–1894) and a number of others. Being in opposition to the Academy and its artistic policy, the Wanderers turned to the so-called. “low” topics; images of peasants and workers appear in their works.
Vasily Surikov (1848–1916), Mikhail Nesterov (1862–1942), Vasily Vereshchagin (1842–1904), and Ilya Repin worked in the genre of historical painting.
Art and revolution.
By the 1890s, there was a crisis in the realistic movement in art. Turn of the 19th–20th centuries. was marked in Russia by the dominance of the Art Nouveau style. This artistic movement, which existed under different names in almost all European countries, was most clearly manifested in works of architecture and decorative arts.
Mikhail Vrubel (1856–1910) is one of the representatives of the Art Nouveau style in Russian painting. Thanks to the activities of Sergei Diaghilev (1872–1929) and Alexandre Benois (1870–1960) in organizing art exhibitions and publishing the magazine “World of Art” (published since 1898), the Russian public had the opportunity to get acquainted with new trends in foreign art. In 1906, the first exhibition of Russian art took place in Paris, and since 1909, Russian ballet seasons have been held there annually. The authors of the sets and costumes for these performances were Lev Bakst (1866–1924) and Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947).
On the eve of the First World War, a number of artistic groups appeared in Russian art, speaking with different theoretical programs. Natalya Goncharova (1881–1962) and Mikhail Larionov (1881–1964) became the creators of Russian primitivism, and in 1912 - “rayonism”. In 1910, Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) wrote his first non-objective composition; Vladimir Tatlin (1885–1953) began creating three-dimensional abstract structures and spatial reliefs around 1913; Kazimir Malevich (1878–1935) formulated the concept of Suprematism in 1915.
Creative quests received a second wind and new energy after the revolution of 1917. Some artists emigrated, including Goncharova and Larionov, but most avant-garde figures accepted the revolution and played a prominent role in the “cultural revolution.” Art was regarded as a powerful means of propaganda and an essential factor in the formation of a new society. The Imperial Academy of Arts was replaced by a decentralized system of autonomous workshops and theoretical institutes. Kandinsky headed the Institute of Artistic Culture (INHUK); Marc Chagall (1887–1985) and Malevich created the Experimental School of Art in Vitebsk, which was based on Malevich's theory of Suprematism.
Women played a major role in the creation of the Russian avant-garde: Varvara Stepanova (1899–1958), Lyubov Popova (1889–1924) and Olga Rozanova (1886–1918). Art took to the streets; artists painted posters and decorated areas for mass political events and holidays, developed new designs for fabrics, ceramics, and interiors; The 1920s saw the heyday of graphics and book illustration. Alexander Rodchenko (1891–1956) worked in a variety of fields, he was a painter, cinematographer, and furniture designer.
To imagine how different styles coexisted in the painting of the 1920s, it is enough to recall such names as Pavel Filonov (1883–1941), Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin (1878–1939), Alexander Deineka (1899–1969). However, some artists, such as Isaac Brodsky (1884–1939), returned to traditional realism.
Socialist realism and its consequences.
The resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of April 23, 1932 put an end to the pluralism of artistic movements. All artistic associations were dissolved, and instead union and republican trade unions of writers, artists and composers were introduced. In 1934, socialist realism, the essence of which was defined as “a truthful and historically correct depiction of reality in its revolutionary development,” was proclaimed the official style of Soviet art. Works of the Itinerants of the 19th century. was strongly “recommended” to take as a role model. Many artists became victims of political repression because their creative concepts did not fit into the narrow framework of state ideology. In museums, exhibitions dedicated to Western art of the 20th century have been significantly reduced. To exercise control over training, the Academy of Arts was restored. Censorship provided the necessary direction for the development of art history and criticism. An example of officially engaged art is the painting of Alexander Gerasimov (1881–1963) Stalin and Voroshilov in the Kremlin.
During Khrushchev’s “thaw,” along with those who continued to glorify the successes of Soviet industry, unprecedented harvests and leaders in production, a whole galaxy of masters appeared who began to turn to personal, universal themes. Some avant-garde works of the 1920s, which were banned, began to appear in museum halls. Censorship was relaxed, individual artists and art movements of the past were rehabilitated. The USSR became a more open society to the rest of the world. In 1957, during the International Festival of Youth and Students, and in 1959, at the first American exhibition in Moscow, new, previously unknown art was shown. As a result of greater creative freedom, unofficial art flourished, existing in parallel with state orders.
The years in power of L.I. Brezhnev (1964–1982) were associated with economic stagnation and the continuation of the policy of state control over art. An open-air exhibition organized by nonconformist artists in Moscow in the fall of 1974 was bulldozed; after that, some of the greatest masters of modern art, incl. sculptor Ernst Neizvestny (b. 1926), decided to emigrate.
True pluralism in art came only with the coming to power of M.S. Gorbachev (1985–1991). His attempt to revitalize socialism through glasnost and perestroika brought artistic freedom and pierced the Iron Curtain. Along with the implementation of reforms aimed at creating a free market, the era of state control in the field of art ended. Starting with the personal exhibitions of Malevich and Filonov, held in 1988, museums began to gradually remove from their storerooms works that had been banned since the early 1930s. No longer controlled by censorship, articles and artistic publications began to appear devoted to the cultural life of Russia in the 20th century. and the first years of the revolution. An international auction of works of Russian art of the 20th century was held in July 1988 in Moscow. under the auspices of the USSR Ministry of Culture, put an end to the era of state monopoly in the field of culture.
After the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and the collapse of communism, new opportunities opened up for Russian artists. State control over the teaching of art in schools, over professional education and ideological content gave way to complete freedom of association and creative expression. Art groups and private galleries have emerged, many of which are sponsored by banks and commercial enterprises. As for style, in modern art you can find everything: from neo-primitivism and stylizations of folk crafts to surrealism and abstractionism. A radical change in the value system led to a deep crisis in people's minds. Many are now wondering whether the new spirit of commerce will not distort the high calling to which art has always laid claim in the cultural and political life of Russia.
